K Wires or Cannulated Screws for Fixation of Lateral Condyle Fractures in Children: A Systematic Review of Comparative Studies

Introduction Lateral condyle fractures in children have been typically been treated operatively using Kirschner wires (K wire) or cannulated screws (CCS); however, a definitive choice of implant remains a matter of debate. This systematic review aims to determine if union and functional outcomes of these fractures are better with screw fixation. Methodology A search of PubMed, Medline, Cochrane, and Google scholar was performed in March 2021. The results were screened by title and abstract, and relevance and a quality assessment of the data were performed for the articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Articles comparing radiological and functional outcomes of lateral condyle fractures treated with K wires or screws were included for examination. Articles were excluded if they did not compare outcomes of K wires and CCS together, or were in a language other than English, technical notes, case reports, and articles, which describe the use of fixation methods other than K wire or CCS as well as biomechanical studies were also excluded. Risk of bias and quality assessment of included articles were also done. Results Seven clinical studies were included. 44.4% ( n = 4) were retrospective review of records with level III evidence (77.7%, n = 7). Only two included articles had good-quality assessment scores. Union was reported in 85.7% % in K wire group and 99.6% in CCS group. Functional outcomes were not statistically significant between the two groups. Conclusion Using screws to fix lateral condyle provides better union; however, there is no difference in the functional outcomes and complication rate between the two. Using screws or buried K wires adds the burden of an additional procedure for removal.